


That Spider-Kid

by AlissaShawWrites



Series: Tony's a great dad to his Spider Son [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Domestic Avengers, FrostIron - Freeform, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Jotunn | Frost Giant, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter is a Little Shit, Post-Battle of New York (Marvel), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Loki (Marvel), Sassy Loki (Marvel), Tony Stark is Good With Kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-02-19 09:24:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13120842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlissaShawWrites/pseuds/AlissaShawWrites
Summary: After Ragnarok ended Thanos doesn't attack right away and Loki, Thor, and the Asgardians make it to earth safely. After explaining what happened, the Avengers and the world learn that Loki isn't so bad; though many still don't trust him. After a few months, at an Avengers barbeque, Loki meets Peter Parker. At first, he doesn't mind the kid but Peter becomes fascinated by Loki while Loki appreciates the positive attention. After an incident on an outing, Peter has a panic attack that only Loki can help with.  He soon decides that he is going to protect this child at all costs; even if that means risking his own life in an oncoming attack.(This is part of a series but it is not necessary to read all of them though I would recommend that you do.)





	1. The Barbeque

**Author's Note:**

> At first, I didn't intend to write multiple chapters but now I've decided that it's better to go more in depth. And I had fun writing it so have fun. Let me know what you think.

Loki had certainly made his mark in New York but it didn't stop the overwhelming and surprisingly warm welcome he received when he returned to earth. Thor, upon arrival, had explained what had happened to him and his brother, as well as Banner and his new friend the Valkrie. The Avengers didn't like the idea of Loki staying with them and the general public agreed at first but by his third week here he had managed to become quite popular. 

News had travelled fast about Ragnarok and Hela. But what caught the limelight was the news that Loki was good and had aided the two Avengers in their fight. Even being the reason Hela was stopped in the end. Typical, some say, that the god of mischief would be the reason for an apocalyptic scenario that still benefits the good side. 

As the weeks passed in the new Avengers building, Loki was becoming more like a house cat to Tony and the gang. He was there but not really a huge problem until he wanted attention. Unfortunately, he wanted attention a lot. Tony was tired of his stuff "mysteriously" going missing, and Natasha and Wanda were sick of her hair products being used by some "unknown" person. Ironically they were used to Thor's use of their conditioners but when straighteners began to somehow end up in the bathroom across from Loki's bedroom, they started to end up getting a little annoyed. 

All in all, having Loki around wasn't as bad as they previously thought it was going to be. It did end up costing Tony a lot of pocket money. Loki had discovered a coffee shop not too far from home that served all kinds of fancy pastries and soups. He seemed to take a liking to the lattes they served too. So penniless Loki needed money and Tony needed Loki away from his lab. A fair trade. 

One uncomfortably warm day in the summer, Loki was seated outside on a lawn chair in front of a manmade lake in the complex, wearing the same Asgardian leathers he always wore with the addition of sunglasses. Jewel encrusted ones that no one had the heart to tell him were fake diamonds. 

Behind him on a patio were the Avengers and friends, gathered together for a barbeque. Tony and Nick were fighting over the best way to grill hamburger patties, Bruce and Clint were discussing something about some new invention Tony and they had been working on, and Thor and Valkyrie were sparring on a patch of grass on the other side of the lake.

As Loki let out a bemused sigh, watching his brother be thrown into the water by Valkyries forceful kick, he suddenly saw a flash of red and blue hit the water just in front of him; soaking him completely. He was stunned at first, then a little angry, then just curious. A small head popped out of the water. Whoever it was, was wearing a mask and a very well made one at that. Clearly from Tony's workshop. 

They pulled off the mask to reveal a boy. A child basically in Loki's eyes. Beneath the slight curls of brown hair were a bright pair of happy eyes and the largest smile Loki had ever seen on anyone. The boy saw Loki and the smile grew unimaginably wider. "It's you! Loki! The God of mischief right! So good to finally meet you! I'm Peter, Peter Parker!" he laughed a little, inhaling some water as he did. "Or you can call me Spiderman!" 

"Uh huh," Loki lowered his still dripping sunglasses, "Stark there's a child here!"

Unknown to Loki, Tony had already been walking up behind him to come see the new arrival. Leaving Nick behind to grill. "Yes, I see that." Tony said, startling Loki, "hello Pete! Raspberry lemonade?" he offered holding up a glass of pink liquid. 

Peter flailed around in the water until he had reached the bank, then came running at Tony so fast everyone in eyesight thought he was going to tackle him. He barely stopped in time, sliding on the wet grass a little. 

Taking the drink from Tony's had, he leaned back slightly and chugged the entire glass full. "Thanks, Mr Stark! I was thirsty." He looked around a little awkwardly before continuing with, "oh and sorry for just dropping in. It was hot and I needed to cool off. Totally not because I fell off of your roof. At all. Not at all the reason."

Tony laughed and offered his full glass to Peter instead of drinking it. "Well, at least you're not hurt. And I mean there are worse ways to introduce yourself to a God, so all in all, I say it's a win. Go change, we're eating soon." 

He walked away leaving Peter behind to finish off his second glass of lemonade. Noticing that Loki's eyes were still focused on him, he nervously tried to speak before swallowing his last gulp, accidentally choking himself on the juice. "S-sorry," he coughed, "sorry Mr Loki. I didn't mean to splash you. I hope you're not mad." 

Loki smiled his iconic grin, "absolutely fine Mr Parker. If I wasn't cooled off already, I certainly am now." 

That was all that Peter needed to regain his outrageous smile. "Thanks! Sorry again!" He ran off towards the building saying hello to every soul he passed. 

"That was very kind of you brother," Thor spoke, causing Loki to jump again. 

"What is this? Give Loki a heart attack day?" Loki stated, annoyed. 

Thor chuckled, clasping his hand firmly on Loki's shoulder. "My apologies, brother. But that was sweet. I don't think I've ever seen you not get offended when someone ruins your hair."

Loki put the sunglasses back on and leaned back comfortably on the lawn chair. "He's a child brother. And besides, I was young and stupid once. I know-" 

He was cut off by Thor's thunderous laughter. "You were or are? Because I really don't notice a difference." He saw Loki start trying to object but he stopped him. "You turned into a snake to sneak into Tony's lab and when I stopped you, you stabbed me. That was yesterday."

Just then they were called by the others to the meal. Thor hurriedly ran over while Loki barely made an effort to move but his hunger got the best of him. He made his way over to the tables and sat at the far side with the two other soaking people. 

"How can you stand wearing such heavy leathers when it's so hot out?" was Peters opening line. 

While pouring himself a glass of cold water Loki responded, "I'm a Frost Giant." 

"A what? That sounds really cool! Aren't you an Asgardian?" 

"Peter now's not the time." Tony nudged the boy. 

"It's fine Stark."

The entire dinner was riddled with questions about everything imaginable. Loki didn't even realize that there was that much information about himself. He was the brother of Thor. Most people didn't get that much farther in the conversation past that. But not Peter. This child wanted to know everything. With every new answer, his eyes widened and twelve more questions formed in his mind. 

By the end of the meal, he was telling the story of the one time he and Thor snuck out during a festival and used the Bifrost to sneak out to one of the nine realms to take a look around and how Thor got them horrendously lost. Thor, of course, was denying everything. He ignored him and continued telling them about how Heimdall had to excuse himself from a conversation with Odin himself to secretly rescue the stranded brothers.

By now everyone was listening; urging him to continue. So like the grand storyteller, he did. Their meals were long forgotten as Loki began the story of when he learned he could project his image.


	2. Late Nights and Spilled Lattes

It had to be well after four in the morning by the time Loki had finished his stories. Everyone that had made it that long was heading back to their rooms. Peter was by Loki’s side still asking questions and laughing, though he could barely keep his eyes open. 

Before leaving, Tony had made sure to tell Peter where he'd be staying for the next few days. Right next to Loki. Perhaps it was meant to annoy him, but he actually enjoyed talking to this child. He was very energetic and fascinated by all of his outlandish tales, so why shouldn't he like the boy?

“Loki, you’re in-” Tony paused to think, “I can’t believe I’m about to say this. You’re in charge of Peter. Make sure he gets to bed. BEFORE DAWN! And no more all-nighters fighting petty criminals. You need to sleep too. 

“Crime doesn’t rest Mr Stark! But fine. Not tonight. I’ll get to sleep early tonight.”

That was hours ago. Oops. Looking at it now, he realized he would probably have to hear about this in the morning. 4 A.M is a good time to go to sleep right? He can sleep in.  
"Well…" Peter hesitated as he stopped at his room, "goodnight Mr Loki. That was really fun. Sorry if I kept you up too late."

"Yes, goodnight Mr Parker. And don't apologise. I enjoyed having someone listen to my stories. Oh, and don't listen to my brother. All of the stuff he said about me was lies. I never turned into a snake and then stabbed him." Loki chuckled to himself.

Peter laughed as well, “I don’t know… I may have to believe him on that one. You laughed. I know your tell.” 

Loki’s face turned stone cold very suddenly; giving Peter chills. He started to worry about stepping over the line. “Lies!” Loki shouted. “I was a perfect child! I never-” he broke into a fit of laughter, “no I can’t do that with a straight face.” 

They both laughed for a moment; Peter laughed so hard he had to lean on the frame of his door. “Okay, Mr Loki. You were a perfect child. That must make me a saint by comparison.”

“Are you kidding? You already were. You’re even more of a good guy than my brother and honestly, I wasn’t aware that was possible!” 

“Am not!” Peter went red.

“You have been talking to the God of Mischief for hours. The one who destroyed New York and tried to take over the world. You greeted me as if I was an old friend.”

Peter thought for a moment, "that's just how it should be, isn't it? And I was really interested in meeting you. I know you made mistakes, we all do, and clearly, you've grown. You saved all of your people. I know it doesn't really forgive all of the things you've done, but I know that you are trying. I believe that everyone can be good."

"People like you worry me, Peter," Loki sighed happily, "you're too nice. You're too innocent to be fighting people. What if I hadn't changed and this is just an act? What if I actually did want to hurt you?"

“Then I’d have to stop you, Mr Loki,” he smirked, “but I’d prefer not to so please don’t.” 

"You're cute, kid. Now get to sleep before I get in even more trouble."

“Of course Mr Loki.”

“Just call me Loki.” He corrected. 

“Are… are you sure?” Peter questioned, “you’re a God.” 

“No need to be so formal, Mr Parker. Especially if we’re going to be spending more time together.” 

Loki knew he hit some nerve in the kid when Peters face lit up. He could practically see stars in the boy's eyes. "In that case," Peter shouted, "it's Peter! See you tomorrow, Loki!"

“See you tomorrow, Peter”  
Loki was exhausted. As soon as he entered his room, he flung himself onto his bed, not bothering with the covers or changing his clothes. He was just ready to sleep. So ready, in fact; he almost missed the knocking on his bedroom wall that separated him and Peter. 

It was too rhythmic for it to be an accident. Loki listened a moment longer to see if Peter would do it again, but Peter spoke instead. He couldn't hear very well through the drywall but he knew he heard his name.

Not wanting to stand, he astral projected himself over to Peters room. Peters room was very different from Loki's. Mostly in the sense that it wasn't stuffed to the brim with personal items. No stolen parts from Tony's workshop, no stolen hair products, and no stolen clothing. He stood there realising how much he truly stole from people.

Peter was lying on his stomach on his bed. He was holding his mobile phone, which Loki was still getting used too. He understood them but also didn't. He understood the basic function but humans did weird things with them. He didn't understand the humour that went along with their internet jokes, or why anyone would want to share everything they were doing on social media. Peter was talking about it. Probably to one of his friends, telling them about meeting Loki.

“Um… Knock knock.”

Peter jolted upwards. "Oh god! You scared me! Sorry was I being too loud? I didn't mean to disturb you."

“No, no,” Loki assured him, “I was just wondering what you were doing. I heard my name and thought that maybe you were trying to get my attention.”

"Sorry," Peter apologised, holding his phone up to Loki, "I'm live streaming on Instagram. Telling everyone about how I met you today. Since Mr Stark let me take pictures here, I've gotten a lot of followers who like to know what I'm up to here at the complex."

Loki barely understood what Peter was talking about, but he had heard that word before. Livestream. “So that means people are watching me right now? They can see me but I can’t see them?” 

“Yeah! You should tell them one of your awesome stories you told me earlier!”

Loki’s apparition rubbed the back of his neck, “I don’t know Peter. It’s late- well, early. And I’m using all my strength here on this one astral projection. Or illusion. I’m too tired to figure it out.”

Peter’s smile grew wider, “that’s so cool! Please, Loki! Just the one where you turned into a snake to trick Thor?” 

“Oh alright.” Loki settled down to tell his many stories over again. 

The next thing he knew, he was waking up. Remarkably it was noon. He knew he must have fallen asleep sometime during the late night stories. He got dressed quickly and made his way over to Peters room. He knocked a few times; not getting any answer. He didn’t want Peter to sleep in all day so he opened the door, thankful that it wasn’t locked. 

Peter was face down on the bed, sleeping softly. His phone; live steam still going, was lying on the floor "Peter," he softly spoke, "it's time to get up. Come on, you can't sleep all day."

Peter rolled over, mumbling a “why not?” as he did.

“It’s noon Peter. If you get up I’ll take you out to my favourite cafe for lunch.”

“Fine,” Peter yawned. He rolled over, almost falling off the bed as he did. He picked up his phone and smiled, “well everyone, this was Peter and Loki… but mostly just me sleeping. Thanks for tuning in. I need a coffee.” He turned his nearly dead phone off and plugged it in to charge. 

He pulled off his sweater and threw it on the bed and approached the small dresser. Loki couldn’t help but notice light scarring on Peters arms and back. This is why kids shouldn’t fight wars. 

“Ready to go!” 

“Right,” Loki broke his trance, “let’s go then.”

It didn't take them very long to get there and the line was short but the food would take a few minutes to prepare so Loki offered to wait so Peter could sit at the table. Gratefully, Peter did as he was told and selected a table to sit at. He was just starting to drift off again when WHACK! Something heavy hit the table in front of him; nearly giving him a heart attack. He grabbed his chest defensively and looked up to see very familiar eyes staring at him.

"Hey! Penis Parker! Just the man I was looking for!" It was Flash. Peter's high school bully. Fantastic. "I heard about your live stream. Seven hours of you sleeping. Classy."

He knew he’d hear about this for a while. “W-well, Flash, I-I was up all night with the God of Mischief.” Peters voice shook, “I-I was bound to crash eventually.”

Flash didn’t seem to like that answer. “Right!” he yelled, startling Peter even more, “How did you manage that? Why would the God of mischief want to spend time with you?” 

As if summoned by the very mention of his title, Loki approached with a tray of food in his hands. “Why wouldn’t I want to talk to Peter?” he asked as he set the tray down. “Who are you?”

Flash’s face turned pure white as he realized that it was Loki, the God of Mischief standing before him. “I… um… I’m Flash- YOU ARE LOKI!” 

Passerby’s and other patrons at the cafe stopped to look, wondering if what they heard was correct. Loki wasn’t phased by the unwanted attention. His attention was on the boy insulting Peter. 

"Yes, it is me. And it would do you some good to learn some manners. It's ‘sir' to you. Don't disrespect a God. Especially the God who is far stronger, smarter, and evil than you are. I may be trying to fit in here on Earth but I can change my mind pretty damn fast.

"As for who is worthy of my company, I assure you that Peter here is a perfect candidate. You, however; I wouldn't waste my time with. A coward who preys on younger, nicer people. I may have destroyed New York, I may have been the reason for my father and mothers passing, and I may be a sneaky, conniving, bastard who has done terrible things, but I am at least honest about it. I am a bully and sociopath but I do it for a reason. I am no coward. And I'm never afraid to face a new challenger. I know you're thinking of running. Do it. It's easier on both of us."

If there was any colour left in Flash's face, it was gone now, "y-yes Sir. Sorry, Sir! Sorry, Peter!" He ran off; soon out of sight.

"He really lives up to his name, doesn't he? Gone in a Flash, am I right?" he laughed at his own stupid joke. When he didn't receive an answer or laugh from Peter he grew concerned. "Peter?" he turned to see the poor boy still holding his chest firmly, teeth biting so hard on his lower lip, he drew blood. His face was just as pale as the stupid bullies had been and only seemed to be getting worse.

Not knowing what to do, Loki almost flipped the table to get to Peters shaking frame. "Peter, it's alright. He's gone," he said in a hushed tone. Peter didn't respond so Loki lightly pulled Peters hand away from his chest. Peter seemed to soften a little at the delicate touch. "You're ok Peter. You're safe with me. You know I can protect you. You're okay."

“I-I know,” his voice cracked, “He-he just startled me. I-I’m overreacting.” 

Loki gently ruffled Peters hair, "nonsense. You were frightened, you're tired. I understand. Do you think I've never been afraid? You think I've never had to take a step back and cry?"

Peter finally broke a smile and the tears that were starting to form were blinked away. “You? Cry? I’d need to see that to believe it.” 

“Take me to any sad show and I’ll prove it to you. Theater really speaks to me. Especially when it’s about me.” 

Now Peter was hollering with laughter. “Maybe I will!” he wiped his eyes, “mind if we head back now?”

"Of course," he picked up the fallen sandwiched which were thankfully wrapped. "This one yours," he handed it to Peter as he stared at the spilt lattes. "Never happened," he whistled, pulling the table over the mess in an effort to conceal it.

Peter sighed happily, mouthing “I’m sorry” to the barista behind the counter. She smiled and rolled her eyes; mop already in hand. 

“Let’s go home, Peter.”


	3. A Quick Trip to the Park

On the way back to the complex, Loki and Peter had stopped at a park to finish their food and take a rest. Peter had already been tired before the events at the café, but now he was exhausted. His eyes were drooping and it seemed to take most of his effort to eat. 

Loki didn't want to waste his energy with small talk so he let the kid eat in peace, and instead turned his attention to the others in the park. People were quick to notice Loki's presence. This was Loki's favourite part of travelling. There were three consistent reactions he received. People who didn't recognize him, usually those under 20 who didn't realize who Loki was; therefore not caring.

The second one was the people who did realise who he is but still didn't care. They were the people; Loki thought, who must have forgiven him. Or maybe just trust the Avengers decision to keep him.

Lastly; the people who knew who he was and left immediately. That was his favourite to watch. Some people hadn’t forgiven him. Reasonable; he supposed. But fun all the while. 

“Thank you,” Peter broke the silence, “for dealing with Flash. How’d you know he was bullying me?” 

“It was fairly easy to tell,” Loki stated bluntly, “slamming his hand down. Calling you names.” 

Peters' face went red as he realized how stupid he must have sounded; and to a God no less, "oh… right. I'm sorry, I guess that was obvious."

Loki sighed, nonchalantly, “no need to be sorry. I would like to ask you something though…” he trailed off. “You don’t have to answer this. I don’t want to upset you, alright?” Peter nodded so he continued, “what happened today?” 

Peter quickly looked away quickly and he knew he shouldn’t have asked. He was about to apologize when Peter mumbled, “I’ve been stressed. I’m sensitive because of…” he looked around at the people passing by, “... my condition, you know.” He whispered something that Loki couldn’t hear.

"Sorry, Peter? I missed that."

"It's just…" he pulled his knees up to his chest, "I've been having a rough time ever since my run-in with the Vulture. Long story short, my not-really-my-girlfriend's father turned out to be the bad guy I had been chasing. He dropped a building on me."

Loki slowly raised his hand to Peters' shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You relive it, don't you? When Flash hit the table; for a moment you thought it was happening again?"

Peter nodded, clenching his fist tightly in an effort to stop the tears forming in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was weak and cracking, "I-I feel like it's my fault. Like there's more I could have done. Poor Liz. She lost her father because of me. Maybe I could have talked him out of it."

"Peter you did wonderfully. Do you think Stark would let you keep playing superhero if you weren't good at your job? None of what happened was your fault. Unfortunately, you have to bear the pain of a hero.

"When you're a villain… you have nothing to fear but losing. However; a hero has lives to protect, cities to watch over, loved ones to worry about. It's so much harder to be a hero. So much more suffering." Loki tightened his grip on Peters shoulder enough to make him turn to face Loki. "It hurts, kid. But you're strong and smart. You're doing a great job so don't ever think any of this is your fault."

“What are you afraid of?” Peters sudden question stunned the God. 

He thought for a moment, allowing his hand to drop from Peters' shoulders. "Me? I'm afraid of losing the only people I have left… and dying alone. Like I almost have so many times before."

“Loki, you’ve always got Thor. And me. And all of The Avengers.” 

“Yeah right. After all I’ve done? I’m sure they’re only keeping me here out of obligation. To keep me out of trouble.” 

Peter smiled knowingly, “nope. They like having you around. Even Tony! Says you keep him on his toes so he’s been staying sober.” 

"At least I'm good for something," they laughed, "and by the way; you can always talk to us, Peter. We've got your back. Me, my stupid brother, even that strange Doctor fellow. Or is it Doctor Strange?"

Peters face curled in confusion, “who?” 

"Right, right. You haven't met him yet. Thor wishes to invite him to our next barbeque. He trapped me in a portal to fall for thirty minutes. I hate him, so it should be fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's shorter than the other chapters but I was really excited to release it because I have the next few chapters written already and couldn't help myself.


	4. It's Not a Fight, Loki

The door swung open as the God chased Peter into the lobby of the complex. "Get back here! You can't steal from a God and expect to get away with it!" 

"Well, then you had better catch me first!" Peter laughed. 

"I paid for that ice cream!" Peter put both ice cream cones into one hand and with the use of his other hand and his feet, he climbed the wall just out of Loki's reach. Though Loki looked impressed he sighed in defeat, "fine. Steal my food and disgrace my legacy."

Peter took a bite of Loki's ice cream, recoiling at the sudden brain freeze, "worth it…"

Tony walked in, wiping his hands on a worn cloth, "Peter you're back! Perfect, I need you to test out a new prototype. Can you meet me in the lab in five minutes?" 

"Absolutely!" Peter jumped off the wall without dropping the frozen treat. "I'll run up now! Bye Loki! Thanks for the ice cream!" and just like that, he was gone. 

Tony walked closer to Loki while the man muttered about how proud he was of the kid. "Well Mischief, I need to talk to you. Well, we all would like to." As he spoke a group of familiar faces walked out from all corners of the room. Natasha, to Steve, to Thor circled the stunned God.

"Whatever you may have heard, I didn't do it!" Loki clearly thought a fight was soon approaching. He clenched his fist and soon he was standing before them in his full Asgardian armour, horned helmet and all. 

"Fret not Brother. We are here to congratulate you. Thank you, even." 

Loki's eyes narrowed, "you think me a fool? I will not fall for such idiotic trickery. Why else would you centre me between you all other than an impending fight? Well, I have stayed in line this time. I have not done anything to harm anyone of any property." 

His eyes scanned each hero's face. Their expressions seemed soft and happy. He had a feeling that Wanda was attempting not to laugh at his immediate outburst. Otherwise, no one seemed to be dressed for battle. No iron suit, no shields. 

"For the record," Tony started, "you are a fool. But we're actually here to thank you." Loki's posture shifted to a far more relaxed stance. He waved away his armour and waited for an answer to the question they knew he would ask. "You see, Mischief, we know you stood up for Peter. Someone recorded the confrontation between him and that Flash kid.

"It's gone viral already. ‘God of Mischief defends Stark intern on coffee break.' I thought it was a joke at first but… then I watched it." Tony looked at the others standing around the room.

Natasha stepped forward, "we try to stay out of Peter's social life. We want him to have a normal childhood. Or at least, as normal as possible; but we've been trying to get him to stand up to Flash. He's a little too soft." 

She smiled, the first time Loki had ever seen her smile. Every time he entered a room she was in, whatever smile graced her lips would fade. "We must thank you Loki. I don't necessarily approve of scaring a child but this time I'll look the other way." 

The others nodded in agreement, all singing their own praises towards Loki. He couldn't find his words. Never before had he ever been held on such a high pedestal, or any pedestal at all. Stranger though, was that others around Midgard were watching just the same. "I," he stumbled, "I wasn't aware that I was being filmed." He tried to think of a joke to get himself out of this uncomfortable situation.

After years of never receiving even a pat on the back for the good work he had done, not that he often did notable work for people; finally being in the spotlight for a good deed, was so foreign to him that he was actually scared. Was this what Thor's admiration feels like? Was this how being a part of a team was supposed to work?

"And his panic attack, I've seen it happen before but he's never let me help him like that," Tony's voice rang through Loki's ears. "I can't believe he'd trust the God of Mischief over me, but as long as he's doing better, I can't judge. So thank you for handling it." 

"Perhaps he entrusted me to help him because I don't represent a lost family." The Avengers were clearly confused and started to look angry. "I was not intending that to sound bad. I am not making fun of him or any of you. What I'm saying is that you are family to Peter." He looked at Tony, "the father he longs for," he looked at Steve "the older and far more protective brother," he thought for a moment, "all of you are. The siblings he can trust. The family he longs for. I, to Peter, am more like the crazy uncle everyone warned you not to talk to; who still shows up to family events uninvited. I'm the one who's just close enough to trust but far enough away that you won't see the struggle he's having when he consoles in me." 

Loki looked down, feeling a shred of guilt that he couldn't let the people Peter cared more for take the reins. He had stolen a fatherly moment from Tony, or the guardian bond from Natasha. "Peter doesn't truly understand what I've done in the past. He's not aware that the stories are not overreactions and instead are something I have done. He's not trying to impress me like he is to you all. He just sees me as that extra man at the party."

Thor firmly held Loki's arm. Not to the point to which it hurt, it only made him lift his eyes off the floor. "Brother do not say such things," he smiled pleasantly, "we all saw the way Peter spoke to you. You may be right about us being his family, but do not think for one moment that you are not part of that family. You're one of us now. Even if you are the crazy uncle!" 

Everyone's smiles returned and Tony looked at his watch, "well the kid is probably waiting for me so I better get going. Good job again, Mischief." Tony waved goodbye and sauntered up the stairs leaving the rest of the crew to slowly dissipate. 

"Loki why don't you come with us!" Valkyrie called out. "Natasha and I are going to train. You've been slacking off so you better get up here and let us kick your ass!" 

Loki rolled his eyes but laughed in response, "you can try." He ran after them joyfully.


	5. Shaving and Training

“So I see you and Mischief have been getting along fairly well, hm?” Tony asked as he entered the lab.

Peter looked up from the web shooter he was fiddling with; licking the excess chocolate ice cream from the corner of his mouth. "Oh yeah!" he yelled happily, "he's so cool! I never thought I'd meet a God! Especially the God of Mischief! He's so much nicer than I thought he would be!" 

Tony chuckled, leaning on the desk in front of him, "well it's good to see you happy, kid. I wanted to come up here and warn you to stay away from him, but I've changed my mind." Tony smiled, watching as Peters expression changed. Happy, curious, confused; he couldn't quite place it. "I- We've all had our differences with that man and I wanted to protect you from it. I was going to give you one night of excited banter with him and then get you away from him. I didn't want him to hurt you."

“But Mr Stark..”

“No, no. Let me finish.” Tony continued, “He surprised me today, kiddo. And so did you. I know you might not want to talk to me about it, and that’s fine; it’s up to you, but I am willing to talk if you want.”

“Mr Stark…” he tried to find the words, “I… I’m confused.What are we talking about? He didn’t hurt me if that’s what you’re thinking!”

Tony shook his head, moving to sit beside Peter on the workbench, “I know he didn’t hurt you. It wasn’t… him. We know what happened at the coffee shop.” All of the colour in Peters face drained away. “It’s ok, kid. It happens.”

“Mr Stark… I never thought you’d see that,” his gaze lowered, “it’s not what it looks like, I swear. How’d you even know?” 

"Someone took a video," Tony became uncharacteristically soft. His voice was low and gentle, his eyes softened, and his hands stopped fidgeting. "Listen, kid," he started, "I don't want you to be afraid to talk to me. I know I'm Tony Stark; billionaire superhero. But Peter, I can still be your mentor. I still want to help you." He paused, waiting for a response but Peters' eyes remained on the trembling hands in his lap. So he continued, "you don't have to be upset, Peter; no one thinks any less of you for what happened. We all have moments like that. It's hard being a superhero and we've all had nightmares... that's why I want you to be comfortable with us. You can talk to us about problems; or anything for that matter."

Peters' head perked up, "anything? Even if it's stupid?"

"Stupid is my speciality, Pete! Whatcha thinkin'? Girl problems? Boy problems? Puberty?"

Peter chuckled weakly, “well… I mean… I don’t have anyone to talk to about that stuff. But that’s not your problem Mr Stark. It’s not like you’re my father…”

An uncomfortable silence settled in the air and Peter went pure white at the realization of what he had said. Tony was a little shocked himself but smiled reassuringly; pulling the boy close with one arm. “Peter I am not your father; biologically at least. But I am willing to teach you the ways of the world like one.”

“You really mean that, Mr Stark?” Peter smiled, leaning subconsciously into the embrace. His face turned upwards to look at Tony; eyes watery and mesmerises. 

"Absolutely. And… call me Tony. Mr Stark is way too formal."

"Thank you so much, Mr- Tony! You made my day! I promise I won't be too annoying! I've had to ask other people like my chemistry teacher how to shave and stuff! He's a great guy but it's not like talking to you!"

"Well kid, today is your lucky day. I'm going to teach you how to shave." Peter threw himself off of the table excitedly, startling Tony. Though Tony was always completely unsure of the strange erratic behaviour that made Peter who he was; but at least he knew that this one was a good sign. He followed the boy to his private bathroom. 

Across the building; Loki was rubbing the bruises that were already forming all over his body. Valkyrie had not been kind to him on the training floor. Natasha; Loki thought, was taking it easy on him in light of what had happened today. She didn’t seem as cruel and even let a few smiles slip onto her lips at his japes and condescending smirks. 

Natasha was not a soft woman and usually beat him senseless when sparring together. Because of this, Loki loved training with her. She held nothing back; not caring that he was a God. Never giving into his banter. She was the ultimate challenge. An all-seeing eye in every sense of the word: seeing through every one of his illusions and tricks.

Valkyrie laughed as she offered Loki her hand and pulled him off the ground. “Were we too cruel to you today, God of Mischief?” 

As he patted his leathers gently to remove the dust that had collected; he chuckled, "you're always so cruel to me, dear. I'm kind to you, why do you insist on wearing me down to the bone?"

“You’re too soft and I am too strong. Maybe you should focus more on your training and less on your pastries and lattes.” she jabbed at him.

“I am insulted!” he called, “pastries and lattes are far more important than anything else I do.” 

Natasha finally stepped forward as they all went to leave, “well you enjoy your pastries. Maybe you deserve it this time. My treat.”

Loki kept the smile painted on his features but he felt a chill go through him. He had no idea what the great Black Widow would want with him. Much less treating him out to his favourite lunch. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to give up lunch on the off chance it was a setup. "I accept."


	6. Loki Gets A Cat

“Voila!” Tony shouted as he patted his face dry, “we are now clean shaven and I  
look like an idiot!” 

Peter laughed at the new babyface Tony was sporting. Peter himself was the same kid he saw every time he looked in the mirror but now he was more knowledgeable. The uneven scruff that once plagued his chin was now sheared away and it felt great. “You do look a little funny Tony. But good; younger.” 

"You know kid," Tony said, pulling Peter closer and towards the mirror, "without my hair, you and I look a lot alike. I knew there was a reason I liked keeping you around." Low and behold, Tony was absolutely correct. The two figures in the mirror appeared to be one person from different times. From the hairstyle down to the cheekbones; been his son.

Peter smiled, glancing up at the older man who was beaming just as brightly. It wasn't often that Peter got to see the man smile, and never quite so happily. "Tony?" his own voice startled him as it rang out involuntarily, "I know you're not my father, but I really respect you like one."

Tony stopped smiling, letting his face drop. The man in the mirror was a frightened and unsure Tony Stark. “Peter,” his voice cracked, “thank you. I-I’m not sure how to… emotion properly but that means a lot to me. I’m proud to have you on the team and I feel the same. I am so glad that I recruited you. You are a fantastic Avenger.” 

Peter broke into a fit of tears, hugging Tony tightly. Tony instinctively tried to pull away from the rockhard grip the kid had on him, however; once he relaxed for a moment he leaned into the embrace. "Come on, kid. Don't cry."

“I-I’m sorry Tony, I just always wanted to hear that. I don’t have a dad and I look up to you so much!” he wept. 

“I’m honoured, kid.” 

They stood in silence for a few more moments, allowing Peter the time to cry. Tony started to get teary-eyed himself but refused to let them fall; not wanting to show his inner battle to the child before him. Suddenly; their bonding was interrupted by music. Fergalicious to be specific. "What in the hell is that?" Tony blurted out.

Peter pulled, releasing his firm clasp on Tony. His face was red and covered with tear stains but his smile was ear to ear, “my ringtone.” He put the phone to his ear. “Hey Ned,” he sniffled, “oh I’m fine. What’s up?” Tony watched as Peter nodded, rolled his eyes, and finally yelled, “oh heck yes! I’ll be there in twenty!” He hung up the phone excitedly, “hey tony can I get a ride to the animal shelter? Ned and MJ are volunteering there. You can come too if you want!”

“No thanks, Peter. I’ve got work to do but I can drive you. You pick the car and I’ll meet you there in a minute,” he started packing up.

Across the city Natasha was watching the God of Mischief dressed in an all-black suit, pick apart a cherry danish and eat spoonful after spoonful of a custard tart. He washed down the sweets with the largest latte Nat had ever seen. Besides what he was currently eating, the table was decorated with other sandwiches and French dishes.

"Okay, you need to either say something or eat something," Loki stated dryly. "You are actually terrifying me. You've been staring at me for thirty minutes; not making a damn sound, not eating, not even moving! I ordered enough food for probably four people or at least one Thor and you haven't had a single bite!"

Natashas expression hardened, “then why did you order so much food on my credit card?” 

“You let me. I wanted to see how much you would allow me to order before yelling at me but you never did so I stopped after you said nothing to three baguettes.” Natasha sighed, taking a bite of one of the aforementioned baguettes. “Good; now why did you bring me here? You clearly weren’t planning on a lovely French inspired date with me, so why? Why bring me here?”

Natasha chewed her mouthful slowly, forcing Loki to wait for the answer he was desperate to hear. Truth be told, this woman frightened him. If she was still not convinced of his moral development he couldn’t do anything to stop her from keeping an uncomfortably close eye on him. “Well?”

"Listen, Loki, I want to trust you. What you did for Peter is really reassuring but you know that I can't just drop everything else I know about you," she said far softer than he was expecting.

He nodded, “I understand that. I don’t forgive myself either, Natasha. But I was at a very bad point in my life. I’m not trying to excuse what I’ve done but I know that I was not of sound mind. Everything I had known turned to faded memories, I was alone and I lashed out with the support of an abusive villain with an infinity stone. I’ve realised the error of my ways but I am the God of Mischief, not of death or destruction. I am not leading this poor child to his doom or a life of villainy.”

Loki paused, looking away at anything he could as to not meet Natasha's gaze. He solemnly continued, "he simply intrigued me. He's the only one who doesn't treat me like a villain. I know that I deserve to be treated like one, I know I am a villain but he looked at me the way…" he cleared his throat, "the way my brother used too. When we used to spar together, or when I would show him a new illusion I had learned. Such admiration. Love. Respect."

Natashas entire stature softened. “I understand,” was all she said. Though it wasn’t much, it was all that was needed. Loki wholeheartedly believed that she understood him and she was satisfied. 

“Thank you.” 

She smiled at him, “glad to have you on the team, Loki.”

“Me too.”

Without warning a vibration shot through Natasha. Her phone was going off in her pocket, set to vibrate in case of any situation she might be in where she had to remain quiet. She reached for it and Loki returned to the feast before him. "‘I dropped the kid off at the animal shelter,'" she read Tony's message out loud, "‘could you pick him up in an hour or so?'" 

Loki grinned, "that kid is far too innocent."

“Agreed,” Natasha nodded before taking another bite of the baguette that had never left her hand. 

After a well-deserved meal and a walk around the neighbourhood, the two decided it was time to go pick Peter up. They walked at a slow pace to give Peter as much time as they could with the animals and presumably his friends. Natasha and Loki made fairly decent small talk and having jumped the hurdle between them, they connected a little easier. Loki had even managed to make her laugh a few times along the way. And she had given Loki advice on how to talk to people and make better first impressions. All around; an enjoyable experience.

“Well; here we are,” she remarked; climbing the small set of stairs leading to the shelter door. Even from out on the curb they could hear Peter and others laughing and talking, as well as all sorts of animals. Peter was laughing the hardest by far and as they opened the doors they quickly realized why. Peter was lying on the floor with a mountain of puppies of all breeds happily running and jumping on and around him. Both he and the animals were overstimulated and beyond ecstatic. 

"Hello, Miss Black Widow, Ma'am" a teen male that Loki didn't recognise spoke up. Loki could practically see the heats dancing in the boy's eyes as he viewed Natasha.

She seemed to know the boy so it didn't seem to bother her. "Hello, Ned. I see you've all been having fun," she motioned towards Peter. At this point, he was so deep into his laughter he couldn't even look up at the two new occupants. Gleeful tears glistening on his cheeks.

"Always, Ma'am." the boy called Ned turned to Loki and flashed ghostly white. Loki thought he knew what was coming until the teen lit up with excitement. "It's you! It's Loki! Nice to meet you Mr Mischief- I mean God of Mischief! Oh god, I sound like an idiot."

A girl walked into the room with numerous birds sitting atop her shoulders. She had to be around the same age as the two boys. “When aren’t you, Ned?” she laughed. Between the snark and the untamed curls of her hair, down to smirk on her face, Loki could already tell he liked this girl. Peters girlfriend, perhaps? He’d be sure to question Peter about it later. 

Loki clasped his hands together in front of himself and smiled pleasantly, “good to meet you friends of Peter. You’re correct, I am Loki; God of Mischief. I hope we’re not intruding.”

"Not at all!" Peters' voice perked up from the side of the room. He was holding an armful of puppies like a delicate bouquet of roses. "We're just helping the animals get their exercise and social time. Want to hold one?"

Loki and Nat both playfully shook their heads. Natasha motioned towards the two others, “why don’t you introduce your friends, Peter? Loki is new here, remember?”

“OH, Right! I should probably do that!” he said, letting the puppies go before standing. “This is Loki, obviously, and Loki this is Ned and MJ!” 

“MJ? Does it stand for Michael Jackson?” he laughed to himself. 

Without even changing her expression she responded, “maybe it is,” which stunned Loki but only made him enjoy this woman even more. “Just call me MJ. It’s more mysterious that way.”

"Well then, MJ it is. And it's good to meet you as well Ned. Anyway, Peter, I think it's time to get going."

“Sure thing!”

They began putting the animals back in their pens while Loki and Natasha waited by the door. Out of the corner of his eye, Loki saw a flash of black rush out from the backroom; climbing over the reception desk and into Loki's quickly outstretched arms. A cat. A pure, jet black can with one emerald green eye and one deep copper coloured eye. Like lightning, it scaled Loki to rest on his shoulder, turning to hiss at the vet trailing behind. 

“Loki you get back here right now!” she shouted, stopping in front of Loki himself, “sorry sir. Loki can be rather mischievous…” The expression that painted her face was suddenly turned from playful to horrified. 

Loki knew she must have recognised who he was, “Loki you say? As in; named after me? How sweet.”

“I-I am so sorry,” she stuttered, “he’s just- just really mischievous. Who better to name him after than the God of Mischief himself?”

Loki chuckled, looking at the cat, “I couldn’t agree more. He seemed to be giving you quite the hard time. I think I like this cat. Not only because he's named after me either. I am not that vain. I think I’d like to keep him if you don’t mind.”

Some of the colour seemed to return to the woman's face however she was clearly still intimidated, "yes of course! He's yours! Free of charge!"

Loki shook his head in disapproval, “no, no. I’m still a paying customer. How much?”

“We usually charge fifty dollars. Is-is that alright?” 

“Perfect!” Loki exclaimed throwing a hundred dollar bill onto the countertop. “And an extra fifty for the troubles he’s caused you. Farewell,” he bid as he left the building with the cat on his shoulders. 

Natasha shook her head, “Starks going to kill me for letting him adopt a cat. Come on Peter, before he does anything else.” They all left the shelter without another word. 

As they carried on down the streets, Loki was outrageously content with himself. “Silly mortals,” he muttered out loud, “naming a cat after me. Perhaps it was fate little Loki. We were destined to be friends.”

“Peter that was so cool!” he heard Ned whisper to Peter. 

“I told you he was awesome!”

“Take it from me kids,” Loki smiled, turning to face them, “if there's something you want, take it. You will always regret what you don’t do more than what you did do.”

Before Loki could turn back to the road, a massive, dark shadow enveloped them and the city. A ginormous ship was flying slowly, menacingly overhead. Upon seeing it Loki's face fell. He knew that ship. “Natasha,” there was no question of the urgency in his voice, “take Peter, MJ, Ned, and Little Loki to Avengers tower. Do not stop, do not look up and do not engage with anything unfamiliar unless it’s life or death.”

“Loki what is that?” she asked.

"Natasha, this is not a joke." he handed Little Loki to her and changed into his armour. The look on his face emphasizing his message, "take them somewhere safe right now."

“She nodded, “let’s go.”

“But I can help Lo-” Loki's expression quieted the scared teen. “Okay, I’ll go. Be safe Loki, please.”

“I’ll try, Peter. If it does not bode well for me, take care of little me. And please, don’t mourn me.” He set off towards the ship.


	7. The Start of A War

“Nat, I’m scared. We should follow Loki.” Natasha had a rock hard grip on Peters arm and a hand on Ned’s back, pushing them forward. MJ followed quickly behind needing no prompting to keep the pace. 

"No, you heard him. He knows whatever this threat is and he's not putting you in danger." They were only a few blocks away from the tower and despite not being able to see the ship over the buildings, they still felt like they were in the massive shadow it cast. "You are going back to the tower and you're all going to stay safe and not leave until we end this." 

“NO!” Peter yelled, pulling himself from her grip, “Please Nat! I can’t just let him walk to his death! Or any of you!” Before she could respond, they all heard a voice that three of them knew well and Natasha had only heard once. “Flash?” Peter turned towards the voice. 

“Peter I finally found you,” he panted, trying to catch his breath, “I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry. I’ve done a lot of thinking about-”

“As much as I appreciate the apology, Flash, this is not the time. Get somewhere safe,” Flash had never heard Peter speak in such a commanding tone. It frightened him.

“Peter I don’t- I’m trying to make up for what happened. Do you really-”

"Flash!" Peter pushed him harshly causing them both to roll along the harsh pavement. They barely scraped by as a piece of debris fell from seemingly out of nowhere. The ground began shaking violently knocking pieces of buildings and items lose. Natasha quickly went to work protecting bystanders from the rubble. "Ned my web shooters and mask!"

Ned searched through Peters fallen backpack, throwing him his requested items as soon as he found them. Peter slipped them onto his wrists and covered his face with the soft fabric, rubbing uncomfortably against his fresh cuts. Throwing himself off of Flash’s petrified form and into the air, he began his impossible task; saving everyone. 

“Take them home, Peter! Alert the others!” Natasha screamed at him.

“Like they didn’t feel that! I told you we couldn’t leave Loki! He’s probably dead Nat! He’s dead and we let him walk away!” the panic in his voice was unmistakable. “What if we could have stopped him!” 

Natasha had to stop her mission to grab Peter as he swung by her, “Peter you listen to me, he was going regardless of anything you said to him. This is not your fault. Now I need you to be rational! Right now there isn’t much damage and people seem safe for now. This may be the only opening you have to get them,” she gestured to the three terrified teens, “to safety. DO NOT WASTE IT!”

Peter nodded, allowing the tears to fall; unnoticed under the mask. “You’re right. I-I’m sorry Natasha.”

She let go of his arm, “don’t be sorry, Peter. But please remember to keep a level head in time like this. You’re a smart kid so I know you can do it. Now go.”

Peter dropped in front of the three, “grab on tightly. The quickest way to get to the tower is my way.” They had no time to argue as a second tremor shook the earth. Little Loki was carefully placed in Peters backpack still carried by Ned. Peter pulled MJ into his arms also motioning for the others to grab on. When they had, Peter used all of his strength to swing them to the complex. It was bone breaking work even with enhanced strength and durability. Besides carrying the extra weight of his friends, he was focused on avoiding the junk falling all around him which proved to be a much more difficult task than hoped. 

It felt like hours before they had reached the complex. It hadn't suffered very much damage; being one of the strongest buildings in the city. That didn't mean that it was invincible, however. When they entered the building the Avengers were in a panic. Between getting ready for battle and a lack of knowledge; it was hell. "Peter!" Tony yelled seeing Peter enter the complex. Peter ran forward, faster now that all of the extra weight was off his shoulders. Tony threw his arms around him; only for a brief moment to assure himself that Peter was there and was alright. "I was so worried! Where's Natasha and Loki? Weren't they with you."

Peter could barely get out an explanation without tears. He pulled back the mask to make it easier to speak while also showing how apparent the fear in his eyes was. Once he had briefed Tony on what little details he had, Tony nodded solemnly. "Okay, Pete. We'll take care of it. Stay here with your friends and stay safe."  
“Tony you and I both know that I am not going to let you walk out that door without me. I’ve already let one person walk to their doom today. I am not doing it again.”

“Yeah I know,” he sighed, “you’re too good Peter. Suit up and meet us out there. And for god's sakes, be careful.” He ran off presumably to get ready for battle. 

"MJ you're in charge of them," Peter said, pulling his shirt over his head. Ned allowed Little Loki to exit the bag and made quick work of throwing Peter his suit. "Don't touch anything, just chill downstairs. JARVIS? Can you make sure they stay in the safest part of the building?"

“Affirmative Mr Parker. Be safe out there,” rang the voice of an unseen man. 

Peter hadn’t been very focused on his enemy Flash until his terrified and shaking voice whispered, “y-you’re the Spiderman?” 

"Yeah, I am."

“T-That’s so cool. I-I’m so sorry Peter.”

“I know you are Flash; save it for when I come back alright?” He ushered them into the elevator, leaving them in the hands of JARVIS.

“Go get ‘em.” MJ cheered. 

“You need help,” Ned spoke up, “I’m your guy in the chair.”

"Thanks, guys."

The elevator doors closed and began its descent leaving Peter alone on the ground floor, staring at the closed doors. "I will take good care of them, Mr Parker. Be safe."

The ground was shaking as Loki approached the ship. As if it was meant for him, it landed inches from his feet, knocking him back as a tremor caused by the ship rocked the area. The large dilated door to the ship twirled open beckoning him forward. He took a deep breath, hoping it wouldn’t be his last and entered the ship.

It was freezing; even for him. The mechanics clicked through the walls, screaming at him as a second tremor exploded through the halls. The force was so strong it threw him forward to the opposing end of the hallway. Along the way, his helmet was knocked loose allowing the metal grate of the vent access to his head, nearly knocking him unconscious.

The unforgettable laugh of the mad titan, Thanos penetrated the stale air. "Welcome back," his foreboding voice sang, "I've been looking for you. You haven't been hiding from me have you?" A gauntlet covered hand picked up the fallen helmet, crushing it like nothing, "Don't sleep before the fun can begin, Loki. I told you, you couldn't keep the Tesseract from me. Relinquish the stolen material and I may spare you."


	8. The War Upon Us

Loki was going in and out of consciousness. Every time he woke, the damp air of the ship chilled him to the bone. The one good thing that came of the freezing temperatures was the lack of feeling throughout his body. Every moment he was awake, he could see the blood seeping through his leather armour; at least what was left of it. Large pieces were missing or cut open, revealing every cut and bruise his pale skin bore. 

"You're making this hard, trickster. Just give me the Tesseract. If you don't make me wait any longer, it will be easier for us both." Thanos sat across from him in the tiny cell, smirking and chuckling viciously.

Loki was sitting on the metal floor, propped up recklessly against the wall. His hands involuntarily raised to his chest, grasping at a particularly painful gash. He pulled himself up into a better sitting position, hearing the bones in his arm groan and snap. He gasped, coughing up a pool of crimson blood. “You must leave Earth immediately.”

“Oh?” Thanos stalked over to Loki who flinched, “must I now?” Thanos grabbed him tightly by the throat, lifting him into the air as he gasped desperately for breath. His hands scrambled, trying to break the rockhard grip. “You forget your place; Frostgiant. Pathetic compared to your real brethren and inferior next to your captors. I’ve been informed of the Allfathers passing,” he chuckled, “yet you are still the runt. Join me again, Loki; we can rule universes and you will be of some use.”

“Never!” Loki spat between gasps.

"How about a trade then?" He dropped Loki, causing a loud thud to echo through the cell. Though Loki attempted to hold back, he couldn't force back the whimper from escaping his lips. "My tesseract in exchange for your brother's life."

Suddenly, Loki was alert, “you don’t have him. You do not hold his life in your hands.”

“Oh, but I do. You’ve been out for a few hours now, trickster. You have no idea what the world is like out there. How about… that Spider-kid? He seemed so concerned for you when you left.”

“How did you-”

“I know much more than you think. Believe me, it’s not very hard to destroy a child, even one dressed in a mechanical suit. Better still, I should consider taking him like my other children. And half of the work is already done for me. He’s already a weapon. No training needed. Yes, yes I like this idea of mine.” 

He began to walk away. “No!” Loki stood, painfully; using the only strength left in his tired bones. “I will give you the Tesseract. Just-just don’t hurt him. He’s only a child. I am of much more use to you than he ever would be.”

Thanos swung the cell door open. The loud clang startling the frightened God. “Lead the way to my Infinity Stone.” 

As soon as they exited the ship, the sunlight blinded Loki. The ship, even with lights overhead, was far darker than the natural brightness of the sun. While adjusting his eyes, Loki was unfortunate enough to take a misstep into a crater causing him to lose balance. When his arm made contact with the hard ground, whatever part of the bone that was still connected, snapped in half. Loki bit down on his lip as hard as possible, as to not scream in front of the gauntlet-clad monster.

Thanos laughed and pulled the injured man to his feet, careless of the broken bones and many wounds he had left on the God. When Loki could see again and broke off from the grip, he was horrified. The city was in chaos. Whatever army Thanos had, they were laying waste to Loki's new home. Buildings were falling, the ground was shaking, lives were being lost.

Loki's mind turned to the Avengers. There was no doubt that they were out fighting Thanos's minions, he only hoped that looks were deceiving and they were actually winning. He prayed deeply for the safety of them all, especially his dear friend, Peter. The child was probably frightened and hurt. Loki knew he should never have allowed Thor to bring him back here. It was a bad omen from the start. He deserved to be left in space without those he cared for. Safer too.

“That’s it, just up ahead. That tower, with the ‘A’ on it. That’s where I hid it. I’ll get it.” 

“You honestly do not believe I am that stupid, do you? You will not leave my sight and instead take me directly to the Tesseract without any mere thoughts of escape.” 

Loki's usual quick thinking was hindered by the imminent threat Thanos posed, and he knew there was no way out of it. He imagined that, that JARVIS thing would have escorted the kids to somewhere safe by now, and trusted the judgement of the A.I. "There are countless defences in this building. There is no way to get in." Thanos wasn't having it. He raised the gauntlet and with the flick of his wrist, whatever brick, mortar, and metal that once stood before them, was blasted to dust before his very eyes.

He was once again pushed forwards, upstairs, around hallways. The inner destruction only got worse as Thanos irradiated any object that looked like it could be a threat; which in Avengers tower, was everything. Once most of the tower was in ruins, they had finally found their way to Loki's room. Amongst the stolen articles, hidden in a hand drilled hole in the wall; was Loki's biggest secret. The Tesseract.

Thanos threw Loki out of his way, grabbing the cube. “At last. My property returns to me. Time to claim what’s mine. Though I am a man of my word. I will not hurt your Spider-friend. He’ll die quickly.”

Using the gauntlet, Thanos threw Loki through the shattered window, sending him thirty storeys down. The cruel laugh echoed in Loki’s mind as he slammed into the hard pavement below.


	9. New Additions

The hope for the future was a mear, dim and near extinguished flame. Thanos’ army was strong and ruthless. Peter was standing atop the remains of what used to be his favourite deli. Hoping only that everyone was alright and that the bombardment was close to over.

It seemed bleak.

Peter could barely keep up with the battle. This was nowhere close to anything he had ever witnessed or experienced. He would gladly take the Vulture over this any day. 

He was praying for help. Anyone to come help; then he suddenly fell. Not onto the ground, but rather through something. The same sensation one felt on the downswing of a rollercoaster. But he wasn’t on a rollercoaster. It didn’t look like he was even on earth anymore; but rather in space or a void of some sort. 

He screamed as he felt himself falling through nothingness.When he finally made contact with something, he was still screaming out of shock. The light returned in blurry flashes. "What the f-" Peter mumbled, looking up to see he was being held up by some sort of blanket or something. Beside him stood a slim man with a fairly well-groomed beard. "Who the hell?"

“Be careful,” the man pressed, “you have to stay on your feet and keep moving in a war.” The man motioned to the blanket to put him down carefully. Peter stood and the thing wrapped around the man's neck.

"Oh, it's a cape. Wait, is it magic?!"

“Yes.”

Something clicked in Peter's mind, "are-are you, Doctor Strange?"

“Yes. You know of me?”

“Loki told me about you! Said you hate him.”  
The sorcerer nodded knowingly, "at least he wasn't lying this time. Watch out," the man pulled Peter to the right causing some debris to fly by, barely missing Peter.

“Oh, thanks.”

“Get out of here kid. You shouldn’t be fighting this war. You shouldn’t be fighting any war. You’re only a child.”

“I’m sorry Doctor. I am going to help fight this war no matter what happens.”

The ground shook suddenly, knocking them both sideways. Then a song, only sort of familiar to Peter; a song from before his time was blasting over the battlefield. “Cherry Bomb,” the Doctors voice claimed, “The Runaways, 1976.” 

A ship; so unlike any in the battle thus far, landed in the centre. It seemed to be the source of the out of place music. A man in red leather stepped out, sporting two strange looking guns. Another man followed, then one who looked like if Bruce stopped in the middle of transforming into the Hulk; only with bright red tattoos and more of a grey complexion. That's when things got really odd. A beautiful woman of emerald green swayed forward with a sword carefully resting on her muscular shoulders. Then a seemingly half robotic, and also very attractive, delphinium blue woman. Finally, an upstanding racoon and tree who was alive and walking.

“Woah, who are you guys?” Peter asked.

The broad-shouldered leader smiled, "we're the Guardians of the Galaxy."

The Doctor stepped in the way of Peter. "Friend or Foe?"

“Whatever side is against Thanos of course.”

“Good. More allies.”

“Let’s get this party started then!”

The fight began again. The other heroes; curious about the new arrivals, grew thankful very quickly. Numbers were falling rapidly and any new support, no matter how foreign, was a welcomed addition.

The battle grew louder and louder. Deafening to all. Louder still until a salient utterance from the far side of the front line struck down the noise. “Ah, my beloved daughters. A shame you’ve made a mistake and run from me. I will see to it you’re punished for defying me. However;” he pulled the tesseract from his pocket, “I must deal with the others first. Using this is sure to help.”

Thor's voice, a grainy and dry growl, spoke above the silence, “the tesseract… Loki.”

“Oh yes, God of thunder. Your funny little brother is back with his old mischievous ways.”

“No. No, he wouldn’t!”

“Well, he has.”

Tony shook his head, “I knew it. I’ll kill him as soon as I get my hands on him!”

Peter slowly lowered his head, “no. Loki’s better than that. He-he’s changed.”

Thanos laughed, “so innocent. No wonder he couldn’t kill you himself. So I’ll save him the trouble and do it myself.” 

The battle began again, with Thanos standing proudly in the middle. Loki; he climbed over the horizon, broken arm in hand. Blood pouring from wounds, body trembling. He had to end this once and for all. He had to stop Thanos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally spent an hour and 45 minutes comparing shades of blue to my poster of Nebula to get the most accurate shade of blue I could and I still feel like I'm wrong.


	10. Loki Falls

Loki cradled his broken arm and prayed that his injuries weren't as horrible as they felt. He ducked in a crater one of the many weapons had made just in time to miss a barrage of bullets flying overhead. Lying in the dirt and mud, he could finally rest and suddenly; like a wave, he could feel every wound, cut, scrape, and burn that ruined his perfect skin. Blood coated his flesh and sullied his leathers; blinding his right eye as it dripped from a gash above his eyebrow. 

For a moment, all he could do was weep. Saying it hurt was an understatement. Loki had barely survived torture under Thanos’s watch and as soon as he was thrown to the good side, they fought him too. Not believing that his injuries were genuine and that he had run off to join Thanos willingly; his return was not a celebrated one. 

Thor could only defend his brother for so long. Loki would never forget the look of utter betrayal on Thor's face; or worse, Peters. When Thanos presented the Tesseract, no words were needed to tell the story. Loki had taken the Tesseract again and worse; had given it back to Thanos. “I was trying to save you,” Loki’s own broken words echoed in his mind. “I offered it in return for your life!” Thor's expression never softened. Peters eyes lever looked up. 

Now he was trapped between good and bad on the battlefield with no open arms on either side. Thanos knew where his true allegiance lied but the heroes were convinced otherwise. No matter where he went or who he fought, both sides were out to kill him. The hits he took in the fight only worsened the ones he had previously.

Now, truly alone in the trenches, he waited for death.

Silence fell and Loki began to wonder if he had passed on. It was deathly quiet and the sun was warm on his exposed skin, but his eyes refused to open. What if it was a trick? What if when he opened them, he would return to the bloody bombardment? Taking the chance was too frightening to think about; so there he lay, silent and fearful. Hands shaking, clasping to scraps of clothing and the dirt beneath him. Blood infusing and colouring the mud and exposed clay of the earth. Waiting for whatever would come. 

He shuddered at the unmistakable voice of Thanos booming over the wasteland, "you have fought valiantly my little heroes. I must admit; you put up a better fight than I ever would have imagined for such puny creatures."

Loki pulled himself up to the lip of the crevasse to see. Just to see; he had to know. Thanos stood on one side, triumphant and gargantuan. Looming over the fallen and long-dead members of his army. Across from him stood the Avengers, the Guardians, the Sorcerers, the Misfits; the heroes. They were hurting. Even from the expansive distance, Loki knew they were weary. Some barely able to stand but staying put as best as possible.

"You see," Thanos's voice echoed once more, "you may have won this battle, but the war is only beginning. I will be forced to take action myself."

Tony limped forward against his team's wishes. That Peter, who was no longer wearing his mask; grabbed Tony's naked arm to pull him back. Where the iron suit's arm was; Loki didn't know. It was clear that Tony had taken quite the beating. His suit, or rather, what was left of it; hung freely from his skin and its loose wires.

"You listen to me you wrinkly, grape flavoured, space thumb; we are nowhere near puny mortals. We've faced worse!" He coughed, spitting out a bloodstained tooth.

“Is that so? And what threats could be worse than me? I sincerely hope that you are not referring to my minions Loki and Ronan. Or these other useless fools.”

At the mention of his name, Loki sank further into the muck. "Don't bring me into this," he prayed.

“Pathetic, all of them. Nothing compared to me. I prefer to play with my food before I eat it, and giving you false hope worked perfectly. However; I do wonder what became of that little worm. Where is my little God of Mischief?” 

Before Loki could think his actions through; he rose. His greasy and muddy hair stuck to his face oozing out the red water he had been lying in. Between his trembling and the loose soil, he could barely stay standing but his anger kept him upright.

"Do not sully my name even more than it already is!" His own voice startled him. Louder than anticipated, yet so clearly broken. His usual mocking and playful undertone had long washed away and the real Loki finally stood before them.

All eyes were on him now. He was used to the negative attention. The only attention he had ever really received. He was no stranger to the glares and hate-fueled growls that escaped the lips of the people around him, but this time it hurt. He didn't wish for this.

Regardless; Loki stood proud and unimpressed by Thanos's accusations. "I am not yours. I am only my own. I am one man between two forces, I always have been. I may be destined to die here, but I will not allow my name to be equated to your sorry excuse of a cause.” 

He began to feel lightheaded and the illusions he had been upkeeping faded. His pale white skin faded to a pale blue. It was no longer a question in anyone's mind that he had been tortured. Aside from the new wounds; bruises, signs of strangulation, and so much worse painted his skin. 

“You’re wrong,” a strange new voice yelled. A female. Loki had heard that voice before but he wasn’t sure where until he saw her push her way to the front of the pack. 

A tall, slender figure with emerald green skin that shone brightly in the sun. Gamora, how could he forget? Adopted daughter of Thanos. Or, to be more accurate, kidnapped daughter. 

Her blood-soaked blade was carefully hidden away in its sheath as she stared at Loki, "you are not alone. I know you. A brother in spirit brought together by a bigger threat, yet strong enough to escape him. Just as I and my sister Nebula have."

Nebula, another familiar face stepped forward, lowering her weapons. She was still in the process of healing and was unable to speak. She was in bad shape; having lost one of her thankfully robotic arms. Countless joints were knocked askew or lost entirely. Regardless; she nodded in agreement at Gamoras statement.

Thanos’s deep laugh left Loki feeling more nauseated than he already was. “I do employ idiots do I not? That is why I am on my own now.” He waved the gauntlet wildly sending out a wave of untamed energy. The force slammed into the army, toppling the front line. Then the gauntlet was turned on Loki who had no hope of dodging any attack.

Before he was hit, however; he felt himself falling. The colours around him blurred and went dark. A strangely familiar feeling. Light opened below him and he fell into the waiting arms of the Sorcerer. "Doctor," he whimpered, "never thought I'd be glad to see you again."

"Don't push it." The doctor carried the heavy God through the active war zone, trying desperately to get him somewhere safe. It was harder to carry the man now that he was basically dead weight and freezing cold. "I don't know how to care for a frost giant," he said to himself.

Loki shook his head slightly, closing his eyes, “I’m to die here. Protect the others.”

“I’m a doctor. Not a monster.”

“I’m a monster.”

Peter Parker fought his way to the back of the battlefield, blinded by fear and rage. He ran to Loki’s side as he was carefully placed on the ground. A hidden haven behind a building where the doctor could tend to his patient. “Loki!” Peter yelled.

Loki just barely opened his eyes, “Peter, you’re…” he trailed off. Just behind Peter stood the man he feared the most. Thanos. He couldn’t get out the words he wanted quick enough to warn Peter of the impending danger. With the only strength he had, he threw himself over the child, taking the blast from the gauntlet. 

Loki couldn’t tell where his mangled body ended up; he couldn’t feel it, he couldn’t feel anything anymore. Before he really faded, he heard Peter’s distraught voice yell, “Karen I don’t care what Mr Stark said. Activate instant kill!” And with that, Loki collapsed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hurt me greatly to write this but I am not sorry.


	11. Harsh Recovery

"Loki?" the name echoed from all sides in a voice soft and full of sorrow. It was in the dark of night the first time the name was spoken like a question. The next time was a brighter day, with noises so profoundly deafening, the voice was almost silenced. The third came but a few weeks later, this time by some other grief-stricken person. 

Some believe that the soul of a person only passes on once their name is spoken for the last time. For some, it may be a matter of weeks, while others may be a matter of years. Loki had considered this, imagining a few weeks if that before his name was spoken last. However; his name was thrown around the earth; or what was left of it, for a great amount of time.

He heard it only three times before he awoke; gasping to breathe in the air he felt like he had been robbed of. He glanced around the solid white room in a daze. It was a fair size, clean, and stuffed with medical equipment. “Where-where?” he breathed. 

“L-Loki?” there was that voice again. This time more startled and scared; speaking his name beside him, “L-Loki.” Over the rail of the hospital bed came the bruised face of the boy Loki had worried about even in the moments of death that felt so long ago, yet like only yesterday. 

Though Loki was awake now, he couldn’t move his body. It was heavy and lifeless; straining at even the thought of movement. His lips pressed together in an effort to speak the name of the boy before him but they; like the rest of his body, didn’t work and instead of a coherent word, he only managed a soft and gritty exhale. 

"Doctor Strange! Bruce! He's awake!" Peter yelled, wrapping a hand around Lokis. "It's ok Loki. The war is over. I-"

The doctor dropped from a portal before Peter could finish his sentence. He too looked fairly beaten but the wounds that could be seen around all of his wizard leather, appeared to be healing nicely. "Ah, Loki. You are alive," he chuckled slightly, "we were starting to worry you'd never wake up."

Loki was unsettled by the juvenile and upbeat way the doctor was speaking to him. Albeit one of the only three times they had spoken so he wasn’t exactly in a place to judge. 

Loki made another attempt to speak but the doctor stopped him, “no. Preserve your strength. You’re really injured.” 

Loki nodded, closing his eyes. He allowed the doctor to work on him for some time; against his wishes, but he knew he was in no position to argue. Bruce had entered the room at some point to help but Loki was less than concerned as long as the man stayed any colour but green. 

Peters hand still held firmly to Loki's as he drifted in and out of consciousness. The boy was certainly loyal. When he had more strength he managed to squeeze the small hand lightly. A gesture of goodwill. 

Before he knew it, the room was dark and silent. Through the window beside his bed, he could make out the shapes of the trees and the reflection of the moon on the water. "So I'm at the complex," his raspy voice whispered.

He looked down at himself. Underneath the soft white fabric was a jungle of tubes and medical equipment. He wasn’t entirely sure what they all did but he trusted the judgements of the doctors. He raised his hand to look at the strange instrument on his finger; when he did he caught a flash of blue in the moonlight. 

His arm; even in the darkness, could be easily seen as a blue colour. “How appaling. Peter must have seen my Jotun form. He must think the worst of me.” 

“You’re too hard on yourself there, Mischief.” the ever unforgettable voice of Tony Stark echoed through the room. When he entered the room it was clear how rough the battle had been for him. Aside from the expected injuries, the man looked like he had been dragged straight out of hell. 

"Nightmares again, Stark?" Loki questioned; already knowing the answer. In the short months, he had lived with the Avengers, he had learned much about their inner workings. Tony had nightmares when he was stressed or anxious. Unfortunately, he was always at least one of those things.

“Always. But your damn cat is the worst of it. Actually speaking of,” he knelt down and pried the agitated feline known as Little Loki off of his leg; only to then drop the cat into Loki’s lap. “He stole my food, my bed, goddamn everything.”

Loki attempted to laugh but the chest compressions hurt, only making his pain more prominent. "Oh, it hurts!" Loki cried, still laughing, "oh by the nines that hurts."

"Don't kill yourself Mischief. Lie down too. We can't have you opening your stitches. This room was already caked in blood from the first time you were brought in here."

“Well, you know how much I enjoy being an inconvenience to you.” 

“I certainly know.” Tony sat beside the bed as Loki lowered himself back into a comfortable position. “You really scared us there, Mischief.” 

Loki’s brow furrowed, “you know I am no longer an ally of that deceitful monster. I’m a little offended that you would still believe I would jump sides like that again! Or that I would be stupid enough-” 

Tony stood suddenly, stopping the outburst, “that is not what I meant! Now settle down or I’m getting that Mantis girl in here to put you to sleep.” 

“Who?” 

“Nevermind.” 

The room stayed silent for longer than they cared to admit. Loki's eyes wandered the room, not wanting to meet the eyes of the man looming over him. "Well," he lightly scratched behind the cat's ears, "what did you mean then?"

Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes roughly. “You scared us, we didn’t think you’d make it through. Even for a God.” 

“I would’ve thought that would be celebrated.” 

Tony sat, clearly uncomfortable. Resting his face in his hands, “I’m not going to beat around the bush here okay? We enjoy having you around. We all had our doubts about you… that wasn’t going to go away without something. Not just with time… but we enjoyed it. Enjoyed having you here. 

“Especially with Peter. You knew him two days and protected him better than we have in a year. We all want to see Peter succeed and make friends, and be happy. I think I got a little off topic here. My point is, you are an ass. You drive us up the damn wall, sometimes just by entering the room. But after all of that, all you’ve done… fuck I hate emotions.”

“Thank you, Anthony,” he cut in, “I’m grateful to be accepted here.”

Tony smiled, nodding pleasantly. “Well, I should let you get some rest,” he said, lightly nudging Loki’s shoulder before turning to go.

“Is everyone alright? What of the casualties?”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s not your job to worry about that. Worry about yourself for a little while.”

“What about Peter? Is he alright?”

"He's a little shaken up, but he's alive and safe. Thanks to you. Actually, I had to force him to bed tonight. He's been staying by your side since we brought you here; wouldn't leave at all."

“I’m just glad he’s safe.”

“Thank you for saving him. I couldn’t live with myself if he died.”

“You would have done the same thing.” He yawned, pulling the resting cat onto his chest. 

“Alright, get some rest.”

“You as well.”

Tony was halfway out the door before he stopped, “oh and once you’re better… we were thinking about having another barbecue. If that's what you want of course.” 

“That sounds lovely.”

“Goodnight, Mischief.” He went to leave again.

“Wait!”

“What?!” Tony threw himself back into the room with panic rising in his chest.

“I can keep my cat right?”

Tony paused, “I- yes fine. Because I owe you this one time. Just keep it out of my way!” 

“Of course.”


	12. Loki's Family

The war had been long for Peter; as it had been for everyone. Recovery, however; was an entirely different story. The days seemed endless as his nightmares worsened. What little sleep he got was riddled with visions of fallen armies, bloody bodies, and his friends in peril. The worst memory burned into his mind; never leaving his thoughts. Loki, broken and bloody. All because of him.

He tried to shake the tears away before they fell. “It’s ok Peter,” Ned lightly held Peters arm, “it’s over now. It’s all over. You’re a hero.”

“I don’t feel like one.” 

“You are, man.” Ned and MJ had been spending a lot of time at the tower helping everyone recover. The two became the legs of the operation. Running errands and doing the cleaning. Everyone appreciated their help as they recovered from the events of the war. 

Peter appreciated it the most. Having his friends there to hold his hand when something happened or remind him that it was over and he was safe, was all he could ever ask for. 

May also began frequenting the tower with the same intentions. Between caring for the heroes and cleaning up the remains of the city, she was always trying to get in to see Loki. Wanting to thank him presumably, but the heroes wouldn't allow her to see him in that state. 

Besides his brother, the doctors, Natasha and Tony, no one was really allowed in. Peter was allowed to stay at his bedside until he woke up the first time but after that, he wasn't permitted in the room. Whether it was for Loki's benefit or Peter's; no one would say. 

Today was different, however; they were told that Loki was feeling a little better and Natasha had suggested that May visit him. "Peter, I'm going to see him now. Maybe I can ask him when you can see him. If you want of course," Aunt May said softly, pulling Peter into a hug. 

“I-I want to see him so bad but-but I’m scared. Why doesn’t he want to see me? Is he mad at me?” 

The embrace tightened, “of course not! He just doesn’t want you to be upset. He’s probably just worried. He’ll be so happy to hear you’re recovering and safe.” 

“I guess.” 

“Don’t you worry alright?” 

Peter nodded, subconsciously grasping Mays' hand. She looked down at the frightened face of the teenager; clinging to her like the scared child he truly was. She kissed his forehead tenderly and waited for him to be comfortable and pull away of his own free will. 

When he finally steadied himself and calmed the erratic breathing; he let go. “Why don’t you go spend some time with the other Peter? You’ve been saying you and Ned wanted to show him Star Wars. Now’s a good time.” Peter’s expression brightened a little and May hoped that would keep him distracted. 

She left before he could object anymore. She wandered down the hallways towards the medical area like she was instructed to do. Inside one of the rooms Loki's voice; still weak and fragile, was growling at someone, "let go of me, brother. I can do it. I'll never learn if you continue to support me like this." 

"Please, Loki. I worry. Natasha, please tell him-" 

She broke his sentence, "no. Loki is right. He needs to do it himself. Just wait behind him in case something happens."

May was unsure what she was seeing for a moment. Bars on either side of Loki; that he was grasping so hard his body shook. Thor and Natasha standing in front of and behind him. It wasn’t making sense until Loki attempted to take a step. He was learning how to walk again. 

Loki trembled as he placed his foot in front of the other, barely able to push forward enough to count as a step. It was clear that he was in a great deal of pain. His skin was still the pale blue it had been since the battle and the blood red eyes were clamped shut as he took the second step. 

“You’re getting it. You’re doing really well,” Natasha soothed him. 

"This is a disgrace!" he yelled. He wavered in his outburst; having to hold the bars tighter to steady himself. "I should be able to walk! I look like nothing more than a child who refuses to learn! I am an idiot!" 

Thor carefully placed hands on Loki’s waist to keep him upright, “brother you’ve been through a lot. It’s a wonder you’re even alive. The fact that it is possible to teach you to walk again is nothing short of a miracle. Don’t be upset. Be thankful.” 

"Very uplifting, brother. Be sure to write that on my tombstone when I succumb to my injuries. Or worse; your lectures." 

Natasha couldn’t hide the slight smile curling on her lips, “well at least your attitude is back to normal. It was odd to hear you be polite to me.”

“I’m always polite. I just have negative undertones.”

She rolled her eyes; still smiling, “now I think we should give it a rest for today. You have a visitor.” 

The trio turned their attention to the doorway, where aunt May silently stood. “Ah yes, Miss Parker. Come in.” Thor held Loki up as Natasha moved a wheelchair to an easier place for Loki to get to. 

When he was comfortably seated and wheeled over to a table with some chairs, he gestured for her to sit with him. She complied, sitting across from him; unsure of what to say. 

Thor lightly patted his brother on the shoulder, “would you like anything before I go? Either of you?” 

Loki waved him away; as did she. Thor nodded; walking away. Natasha went with him, waving goodbye to the two before she left. Loki let out a sigh as soon as the door shut, “I’m sorry you have to see me like this. I didn’t want you to see this but I heard you wanted to meet me, ma’am. I’m hoping it’s for good reasons.”

"Of course it is," she began. It was clear that Loki was attempting to change his skin colour back to the pale white that everyone was used to seeing. Flashes of white shot through him, only to be replaced by the light blue and abstract markings of a Frost giant. Lightly she took his hand in her own in an attempt to stop him. "Please don't exhaust yourself."

"I shouldn't be subjecting you to this horrid exterior." His eyes lingered on the hands, folded to gently and sweetly together on the table. He looked up briefly, expecting a look of disgust to be painted on her features. Instead, he found a soft smile; accentuated by kind eyes and rosy cheeks. 

She felt his hands tremble in hers but his muscles relaxed enough to make her feel that perhaps she had helped. “Loki I’m here to thank you. Thank you for all that you did to save Peter.” Though she told herself she wouldn’t cry; she had clearly been lying to herself. The tears fell faster than she could wipe away and within seconds, red streaks appeared on her once happy face. 

She pulled Loki’s hand closer to herself in an odd, helpless gesture. He allowed the strange mannerisms go by as if unnoticed; though he wasn’t sure why. “I would lose everything I had left if he was gone,” she started again, “I couldn’t live with myself. I-I couldn’t.”

He placed his hand gingerly on her forearm. “Miss Parker,” his own voice wavered, “anyone would have done what I did to protect him. They-they would have done it better than I ever did. I was stupid and not thinking.I put him in that position. I was the reason the problem was here. Wherever I-” he sniffled back a tear “wherever I go, trouble follows. I should never have come to earth. This was all my fault.”

Loki's trembles became more frequent and violent. His shaking hands could barely hold hers, even when lying on the table. May reached out with her free hand to wipe the tear from his eye. He jumped back at first but then allowed her to do what she wanted. "No Loki; you were amazing. I couldn't thank you more. And neither could he." 

“He doesn’t blame me?”

“No one does.”

"T-Thank you, Miss Parker. That means a lot to me." 

She sighed happily, “you know what would mean a lot to Peter? If you’d go see him. He’s worried sick.”

“I will, once I have my strength back.”

She nodded, “good. Thank you again.” Their hands disconnected and she stood up. She rounded the corner quickly, wrapping him in a tight hug.

“You have the embrace of a mother,” he muttered, wrapping his own shaking arms around her slightly, “it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that.”

“Get used to it. You’re a member of the family now.”

The red eyes clamped shut, hidden in the crook of May’s neck. “Thank you.”


	13. Up and Walking

Loki’s room was finally lively again. Loki had been trying to walk around his hospital bed when Tony, Thor, Gamora and Valkyrie had entered unannounced with a pack of cards and a couple chairs under their arms. 

"You look a lot better there, Mischief!" Tony smiled, "the colours coming back. Pale as hell again. Well, not fully but you know…"

Loki ignored him. “What’s all this?” he questioned.

"Well, Mischief," Tony said; already shuffling the cards, "we figured you were getting bored in here and we wanted to cheer you up. And take all your money while we're at it." He laughed a real laugh that Loki hadn't heard in a while. If he ever had in the first place.

“I’m not familiar with card games.” 

"We'll teach you. Watch this," Tony fanned the cards out in his hands, ushering Loki to take a card. When he had, Tony pulled the deck back into a pile in his hands. "Alright, part the deck and put your card in the middle."

“Are you really using a petty mortal magic trick on me?”

Tony smirked, "I am and you'll be impressed." Loki rolled his eyes and looked at Thor for help. Thor ignored him, waiting for him to continue. Reluctantly, he followed the instructions. Tony shuffled the deck again and pulled a card off the top. "Is this your card?"

“I don’t know,” Loki smirked, “I didn’t look.” 

"Oh, you jackass!"

The few faces in the room laughed at the childish antics. When they had settled, Thor helped Loki; who had been half standing half leaning on the bed for support. He walked him carefully to the table. He would never admit it but he was thankful Thor had stepped in to help. He had been doing better at walking but it still took a lot out of him. 

Tony spoke up again, "by the way, Mischief, we all chipped in; which of course means me and only me paid for it and got you a cane. Don't worry it's your style." From behind one of the folding chairs they had brought in, Tony revealed a sturdy mahogany cane wrapped in finely crafted leather. The handle was a silver serpent wrapped around a thick, dark green orb. In the eyes of the snake, two emeralds glistened; reflecting the bright light of the hospital room.

Loki reached for it with shaking hands, “you-you got this for me?” 

“Who else would that be for? Who just carries gothic crap like this around other than you?” 

Loki wanted to retaliate. To use Tony's wit against him but he couldn't. He was ecstatic about his new present. "I-I can't-" he stuttered.

"Thank me enough? I know. Oh, and they're real emeralds by the way. Not like the knock-off diamonds in your glasses."

“Pardon?”

“Shit. Nevermind. Let’s play cards,” Tony avoided. “The other two should be here any second.”

As if one cue, Natasha and what remained of Nebula entered the room. Her robotic limbs were dented and broken. Some; like her legs, had been replaced with better and more functional parts, while her arms were still scarred from war. He wasn’t sure, but Loki’s best guess was that they were slowly piecing her back together as they made the new body parts. With so many skilled scientists and engineers though, she should be fixed in no time. 

“We’re playing a game Gamora and I used to play when we were younger. The winner always got the extra food scraps we stole.” 

Tony; somewhat oblivious to the implications of her words were, shoved the deck into her twitching hands, “your deal then blue-bot.” She glared daggers at him, to which he choked out, “well sexy seemed too outright.” 

“Is he always this moronic?” 

Tony answered for himself, “100% of the time. But I’m still a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” 

Nebula looked far from amused, while Loki was loving every second. Though he barely remembered Nebula from their minimal interactions upon Thanos’s planet, he did remember her attitude. Worse than his by far, and more dangerous too. 

“Don’t worry about him,” Loki chuckled, “he’s nothing more than a tease. He’s flirted with me before. Only to annoy me of course.” 

Nebula grew a confused expression, “oh, so you aren’t dating? I assumed you were with the level of concern he speaks with when you’re the topic. Very much like my sister and her human boy when he is injured.” 

Tony rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably, “I’m just concerned about my team.” He left no time for others to object or continue, “so what’s the game? How do we play?” 

Nebula dealt the cards to each player while Gamora explained the rules. Perhaps it was his lack of prior card game knowledge or the convoluted explanation he was given; but he could not; for the life of him, understand this game. Because of his quick mind, he was able to pick up on patterns which got him through, but he still had a very limited understanding.

After an hour or so of the game, Loki’s back and legs grew sore; not that they weren’t already. The chair he was sitting on was one of the preset, stiff, and overly sanitary hospital chairs. Even with the cushion, it was still uncomfortable and only made Loki’s joints ache more. 

“Ah-ha!” Valkyrie cried, “Loki you’re out!”

He thought better than admit he was happy to be done with this particular hand, “oh, a shame. I’ve lost my title. Oh well, the king has fallen.” This prompted a few lazy snorts and giggles from the other players as they dealt the next round. “Well,” Loki stretched; wincing as a bone popped loudly.

Tony and Thor's gazes lifted from their cards. Thor spoke first, “brother? Are you alright?”

"Yeah, that didn't sound too good, Mischief. Want us to get the doctors? Or let you rest?"

“I’m quite alright,” he waved them away, “I’m just getting stiff; sitting here so long. I think I’m going to break-in the present you gave me. Maybe go for a walk.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not alone at least. I can-”

“I’m quite alright, Anthony.” He thought for a moment before adding, “thank you, though. I just need to do this on my own.”Using the cane and the little strength he had, he pushed himself into an upright position. No-one was holding cards at this point. They were all waiting to reach out if Loki wasn’t able to stay standing on his own. He pretended not to notice and forced himself out the door. The entire time, he could feel the worried eyes on him and he dreaded the fact that he was still limping heavily. The graceless exit could not have been more painful if he had tried. Between the newly yet not fully healed legs, and the unwanted attention; Loki was not happy in the slightest. 

He tried not to think about it as he wandered the halls. No destination in mind; just walking. It was hard work but the cane certainly helped. He would have to do something kind for his stupid inventor friend when he was better; though he had no idea what a billionaire could ever want. Maybe he’d just leave him alone instead of taking money from him all the time. 

His thoughts were cut off by a very subtle sniffle. He followed it as one faint sniffle turned into a more prominent sob. A sliding door at the back of the complex; leading from the kitchen area to the backyard, was slightly open. It was clear the crying was not far beyond that door. 

Loki quietly slid the door all the way open and not-so-silently limped out into the darkness. “Hello?” he questioned, not entirely sure of what he was expecting. He stepped farther into the darkness, enough to trigger the porchlight. Though it blinded him momentarily; when he got his vision back he could clearly make out the shape of the dangling feet off of the covered part of the deck. 

The sobbing was louder now. “Peter?” Loki questioned; knowing full well that it had to be Peter, “Peter it’s me.”

Without the use of another word, the boy had jumped down from the roof; standing only a few feet from Loki. His cheeks were stained red with tears and excessive wiping. His eyes were filled to the brim with tears that began to fall heavily after looking at Loki for too long. “L-Loki?”

“Yes, Peter,” he smiled reassuringly, “it’s ok. Please don’t be upset.” 

The boy slowly walked towards the man, hands outstretched and shaking. As if Loki was going to disappear if he approached too quickly. When he reached the God, he flung his arms around him, somewhat forceful but also carefully. It did slightly shake Loki but he wasn't in any pain or fear of it becoming a pain later on. Slowly; matching Peters frightened movements, he too wrapped the boy in a soft hug.

“Loki-Loki I’m so sorry!”

“Sorry for what?” The dismay in the child's voice was not lost on Loki; only he wasn’t sure how to help.

“For everything…” Peter mumbled. “You-you almost died.”

Of course, that was the reason. "Peter," Loki began, "it's not your fault. I know that's what you're thinking, but it's not your fault. I did it willingly. I wanted to do that for you."

“But why?”

“Because I’m selfish.”

“W-what?”

"Because I'm selfish, Peter. I couldn't bear to have you; a child, a friend, someone who never cared what I had done or who I was, get hurt because of me. Because of the mistakes you so graciously overlook."

Peter felt the shudder go through Loki’s body; whether it be because of the cold night, his injuries, or his confession. Peter pulled back; wiping the tears from his eyes, “no. It’s not your fault either Loki. You didn’t know this would happen.”

"He vowed to find me if I hid the tesseract from him. I was stupid enough to do exactly that and then bring it here. The place he wanted to destroy. I brought the weapon he wanted to destroy the earth with to earth. I'm the reason this happened, Peter. It is my fault."

Loki wavered, the weight of his body pressing down on his fragile legs for too long. Peter barely caught the God before he fell, forcing him to practically carry him over to the nearest seat. A porch swing only a few feet from them was the saving grace for Peter. Even with super strength, he wasn't prepared for the man to tumble like he just had.

“My apologies, Peter.”

"It's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself. You thought it was the right thing to at the time. Besides, he would have done it anyway… so you taking it only helped us. It held him back a little. That's a good thing."

Loki couldn’t stop the faint smile on his lips, “I suppose so. Let us both agree not to blame ourselves for these things totally out of our control. Agreed?”

“Agreed, I guess.”

“Good,” Loki played with his cane, “I’m just glad to see you and the others safe. It’s nice here. So lively with the new faces around. I haven’t even met most of them.”

Peter perked up, “they’re all pretty cool. Tony, Rocket, Shuri, Bruce, and I have been in the labs a lot. Big Pete is hilarious. He even let me try out his space helmet and blasters the other day! Says I’m a natural! Doctor Strange kind of scares me sometimes. He goes into this like, other universe sometimes. But his body just DROPS. He just leaves his body sometimes! I don’t like it.”

Loki chuckled, only partly understanding what the kid was talking about. He imagined it as just some form of illusion that Peter didn't understand, but truth be told he wasn't sure what the doctor was capable of so he thought it best to stay silent.

Peter talked for a while. All about the new team members and silly things Peter's friends had done. He dragged on for a long time about the media and everyone knowing his identity. He wrapped himself in layers of uncertainty and relief as he explained how strange it was to finally have everyone know his biggest secret. Flash had been in shock apparently and was now texting Peter at least once a day to apologize for something he had done to Peter in the past. Or remarking at how cool it was that Peter WAS the Spiderman.

"Oh, and Loki?" Loki made a strange noise of acknowledgement before turning to face Peter again. "I know you're wearing makeup. But you know, I think you look really cool as a Frost giant. I don't think you should hide it."

“How’d you..?”

Peter stared down at the smudge of concealer and foundation on his sweater from where he had accidentally brushed Loki's cheek during the hug. "Natasha won't like you stealing her makeup now too. Or is it Wanda's?"

“Oh shut up, kid.” 

“Ugh, you sound like Tony.”

“I’m insulted.” 

They laughed together for a moment while Loki wiped some of the makeup away on his gown. "Listen, I'll think about it."

“It looks good on you.”

Loki nodded slightly, turning to look at the water. The moon reflected perfectly in the still water. “I think we should have another barbeque tomorrow. Stark brought it up to me a little while ago and I think tomorrow's going to be a really nice day.”

“Sounds great! Can Ned and MJ come?”

“Of course!”

"Sounds fun! Thanks, Loki."

“Don’t thank me, thank Stark. Now you should go get some rest. It’ll be a long day.”

"Goodnight, Loki."

 

“Goodnight, Peter.”


	14. Trapped On The Staircase

Loki made his way slowly up the stairs. JARVIS had offered him an elevator but he refused, feeling the need to climb the stairs himself. Now; only halfway up the curving staircase did he realise how bad the idea was. His legs were giving out under him, causing him to tumble a few steps. 

He panted heavily, slight fear and nausea taking effect. Using the leverage his cane gave him, he managed to twist himself so he was seated firmly on the cold steps instead of lying helplessly on his stomach. 

Even after a few moments had passed the dizziness wasn’t going away and he began to feel sick. “I-I’m going to be fine. Just-just need to rest,” he reassured himself, lying there quietly for a few more minutes. His crimson eyes closed tight with involuntary stress. 

He inhaled deeply; steadying his breathing to a soft puff. Slowly he lifted his torso on his elbows and was relieved to feel no lightheadedness or queasiness any longer. The ringing in his ears quieted and he could hear as footsteps were approaching him from the top of the stairs. They were hurried and unevenly paced; as if whoever was coming was skipping steps. 

“Mischief!” the worried voice of Tony Stark called from behind him. 

Loki turned his head slowly, allowing it to lazily bob on his shoulders as he watched the man barrel down the steps faster than he had ever seen the man move. He was quickly upon him; kneeling beside him on the uneven plane. 

“Are you okay? JARVIS told me you fell!” 

“I-I’m quite alright.” Loki took notice of the quivering hands; so afraid to touch him, hovering over his raised torso. He brought his eyes back up to Tony’s, “needed a rest. That’s all.” 

“That’s all?”

“Of course.” 

“Well,” Tony shifted to a sitting position beside Loki. Clearly unconvinced but smart enough; or kind enough to not press the matter. “I hope you don’t mind the company.” 

“You don’t need to do that. Return to your card game. Weren’t you winning when I left?” 

Tony waved away his question. “Boring,” he stated bluntly. “I’ll stay here and wait for you. I’m sure they’ll be done soon anyway and then we can leave you alone.” 

“Yet you’re not leaving me here.” 

“Nope. My turn to annoy you.” 

“Perhaps Nebula was correct. Maybe you do care for me.” 

“Hey there, mischief. Don’t slander me like that.” They chuckled pleasantly together. “Well, she’s not entirely wrong. I am worried about you. You know, for as worried as I can get. So you know, not much.”

"Did you mean ‘alot,' because I know you worry about everything." Loki wasn't looking at Tony but he could still feel the distressed face Tony was looking at him with. "Is-is that why you were having nightmares when you came to see me?"

Tony’s breathing hitched and he gently grabbed his wrist. A gesture Loki didn’t fully understand but something he almost mirrored with his own nervous tick. An involuntary touch of the hand to calm himself. 

“I don’t mean to be such a burden. I’m built for mischief in spirit; not of the heart.” 

“Poetic.” 

“Don’t make fun of me.” 

“I’m not,” Tony sighed. “Listen, maybe- maybe I do care a little more than I like to admit. You know I’m not one for… caring.” He turned back to Loki who was gazing out the picture windows that surrounded the stairs. He smiled slightly. 

“I think you’re too much like me,” Loki interrupted. “You’re hiding your feelings.”

“It’s better that way.”

“I agree.”

Tony continued the rhythmic hand movements along his wrist, trying to stop the anxiety he could feel rising in him again. A cold, blue hand wrapped lightly around the opposing wrist; stopping the motion. "Please don't let me be the reason for your suffering. Not again."

Tony’s face dropped, “what do you mean by that?”

“You can’t expect me to believe the invasion of New York did nothing to your already tortured soul. I threw you out a window.”

“T-that builds character,” Tony sniffled; suddenly aware of the tears that were staining his cheeks a bright red. Loki’s grip was tighter on his trembling hands now. The wintery grasp only numbed the pain for a moment. Tony continued to whimper, rocking his body precariously on the edge of the step. 

“It’s alright, Anthony. Let it out,” Loki soothed, putting an arm around the shoulders of the tearful genius. “I’m sorry for my mistakes and how they’ve hurt you. I deserve what I’ve gotten.” Tony choked on his words. Not able to get out a sentence. Loki shushed him, “no, concentrate on your breathing. Inhale; exhale. Just like that.”

Tony did. Slowly his breathing steadied to a somewhat normal, if not a little irregular. “L-Loki,” he shuddered. “N-not your fault. Thanos m-made you.”

“That’s not an acceptable excuse to hide behind. I was conscious and aware of my actions.”

Tony's right hand grabbed Loki's knee tightly. It hurt Loki's sore muscles and barely healed bones; nevertheless, he remained silent. "No," was Tony's only reply before he had to begin the breathing process again.

They sat there, halfway up a set of stairs; one recovering from a panic attack while the other silently wept over the conclusion that it was his fault and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Between the extended gasps for breath, it was dead silent in the stairway. Neither Tony nor Loki moved for what felt like an hour until Tony finally released his rock-hard grasp on Loki's knee.

“I’m sorry, Mischief.”

"Don't be silly," Loki's cold hand wiped away what tears remained in his eyes. Loki slowly cupped Tony's face with both hands and pulled their foreheads together.

“What-what are you doing?” Tony questioned.

“Something Thor did in our youth. It always calmed me.”

Tony allowed it for a few more moments before pulling away. “I didn’t mean for you to see that. The war made for hard healing.”

“I know. I know it did,” Loki sighed, suddenly conscious of his own injuries.

“Nebula was right by the way,” Tony chuckled through a sore throat. 

Loki was more than surprised. “Does that mean,” he teared up.

“Yeah, dumbass. I do. I’m not much of a catch for a God, I know-”

“Stop right there, Stark,” Loki said firmly. “You’re far better than I could hope for. Does this mean you forgive me?”

“You’ve long been forgiven. Ever since the coffee shop, I knew you had changed. Everything passed that was just proof.”

“Thank you.”

“Can, uh, you want some wine or something before you head off to bed? They’re probably still playing.”

“I’d love that.”

Tony steadied himself with the handrail as he stood. He offered his hand to Loki and was surprised to see him take it. Carefully and with caution, he lifted the God to standing position. Loki's cane did a lot of the heavy lifting and kept Loki standing as soon as he was on his feet. Slowly they made it up the rest of the stairs with Loki heavy on Tony's side.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nebula and Gamora watching from their room. Nebula was smirking and Gamora smiled pleasantly while handing her sister a pile of money. Tony said nothing, only glaring and continuing towards the bar down the hall.

“By the way, I planned a barbeque for tomorrow without your permission,” Loki smiled.

“You ass.”

They sat at the bar, laughing and joking with each other for some time. Anticipating the day to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the forehead touch was more of a comicbook Thor and child Loki thing but I like it.


	15. The Second Barbecue

By the time Loki awoke the next day, the bright sun was shining across his face. Trying to avoid the harsh warmth, he rolled over; wincing at the sharp pain that shot through his body. He bit down on his lower lip and pressed himself into the familiar set of weighted blankets and the mountain of pillows below his head. 

When the pain subsided and his vision returned, he finally took a good look around. Besides the wooden planks over a huge hole in the wall, everything was what he remembered. “So I’m in my room,” he mumbled to no one, still looking from one item to another. Though the room was a mess, there didn't seem to be very many things broken.

Through the window that appeared to be missing, he could hear the subtle voices of The Avengers coming from below. Loki could not make out what they were saying but the voices were familiar enough that it gave him confidence to stand up. When he did, his joints and bones ached, pleading with him to sit back down but he persisted. He moved to grab the cane that was resting on the side of his end table, only to notice a small note attached to it.

“Hey, there mischief, the docs released you from the hospital and gave me permission to let you come back to your room. I'll see you today at the barbecue and you’d better not be late, Peter’s excited.   
Signed the one and only, Tony Stark.” 

Loki chuckled pleasantly and dressed in his finest black suit before making his way downstairs towards the backyard, not wanting to keep them waiting. This time taking the elevator that was waiting for him. When he limped through the sliding doors, all conversation between the heroes standing in the yard was cut short. All eyes turned to him. Along with the other heroes were people he did not know but they seemed to follow the train of sight, including the cameras some of them were carrying.

For a moment, no one moved until suddenly, “ah! There he is!” Tony jogged towards Loki; the cameras trailing behind him. Tony threw an arm around Loki’s shoulder and looked towards the reporters. “As I was saying before, we are all very happy to be here and thanks to this man, we are. I know, I know, we did all the work,” he laughed. “I’m kidding.”

Loki tried desperately to hide his face. “What are you doing! Look at me,” he whispered forcefully. “I can’t be on camera for the whole world to see! I’m a mess and still blue!” 

“You look super hot. Or cold,” Tony laughed. “You know; because you’re a frost giant.” Loki did not look amused. 

“Well anyway, we are here today to celebrate the end of the war. We know that we all have been locking ourselves in the complex since the war ended but you know, it’s been hard on us. Now we would like to welcome anyone and everyone to the first official Avengers celebratory barbeque.” 

One of the female reporters stepped forward, angling her mic towards Tony. “Are you saying this is an open community event?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Peter and I have been working on it all night-morning-what time of day is this?” 

Most of the reporters turned to look for Peter who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He was sitting; frozen in place at one of the picnic tables. “Oh, um, hi. Is this- is this live?” The reporters nodded and began asking him all sorts of questions. 

Peter was clearly not prepared from the sudden wave of attention. He tried to answer the questions being thrown at him, but there were too many too quickly and he began to panic. Before he could do anything else a portal opened in front of him and Doctor Strange stepped through; throwing a quick reassuring smile towards Peter. “Ladies and Gentlemen, others, neither, please be respectful and not cause a commotion. This has been a very rough time for all of us and we would like to relax so please leave the boy alone.” Peter couldn’t express his gratitude to the doctor even as the crowd turned back to Tony and Loki who was still hiding the best he could. 

Tony continued speaking to the cameras like he did so often and before long the yard was full of civilians wanting to meet and greet with the heroes. Pictures were being taken, autographs were signed, and Peter was swarmed by excited classmates. Loki had slipped away at some point during the chaos, however; and Tony wanted to find him.

He excused himself from a line of excited fans wanting to take photos with him with promises of returning soon. He slid open the sliding back doors and entered the complex. "Hey, Mischief! Where'd you run off too now?"

The calm voice of JARVIS echoed through the room, “Mister Loki is in his room, sir.” 

"Thanks, J," he smiled. He climbed the stairs cheerfully; stopping only once to grab two glasses and a bottle of whiskey from one of the bars. He reached the Gods room quickly; laughing to himself when he realized he couldn't knock on the door with so much in his hands. "Um... knock, knock."

“What is it, Stark?” 

“Can I come in?” 

There was a long pause before Loki muttered so quietly, Tony barely heard the, “I suppose.”

"Actually, do me a favour and open the door." There were no sounds of Loki moving or any effort to open the door as requested. "Alright, fine," Tony mumbled, carefully tucking the glass bottle under his arm and turning the door handle.

Loki was spread across his bed, still in his designer suit. Propped up only by pillows and the rolled up blanket, he sighed. “Stark,” he began. “Did you mean it? What you said to me today.”

Tony rolled his eyes, already knowing what he was talking about. Instead of answering he set the glasses down on the bedside table and poured some whiskey into them. "Here," he offered one to the disgruntled God who reluctantly took it. "You're an idiot, you know that? Of course, I meant it. You think I just say things like that?"

“Yes you do!” 

“Okay maybe I do,” he sat on the edge of the bed and sipped the whiskey. “I do but I really did mean it. That’s why I wanted to go out with you. You do remember last night don’t you?”

Loki sighed, finally taking a sip of the drink, “I wasn’t sure if I had dreamt it or not. It felt suspiciously like a dream.”

“That’s because I’m your dream man and If you’re not careful you may find yourself wanting to never wake up from it.”

Loki was as fast as lightning; turning his body completely to face Tony. No longer lying on the bed; instead, sitting on his knees in front of the genius. "Prove it to me then. Prove that you weren't lying. Show me affection!"

“Your wish is my command.” He closed the gap between them and pressed their lips firmly together. It was awkward at first as both proud men were tense and somewhat afraid of the others reaction. 

Slowly the shock was lost and Loki leaned into the kiss. He moved closer, closing his eyes; enjoying the burning on his freezing lips. When Tony realized that Loki was leaning in rather than pulling away, he made another move; dropping the drink in his hand, letting it shatter on the floor so his hands could freely roam Loki's' features.

“Anthony!”

“Forget the glass.” 

Loki didn’t hesitate in bringing their lips together again. Tony delicately pushed the God down on the mountain of pillows and swung his leg over so there was one on each side of Loki. He was about to continue the kiss when they were both caught off guard by the muffled voice of Peter through the wall. They looked at each other for a moment with startled expressions.

“Oh, h-hey Liz,” they heard him mumble. They didn’t hear a reply so they assumed he was on the phone and not hiding someone in his room. “Yeah, good to hear from you too. A-are you enjoying Oregon? Right, sorry.”

The two men were frozen. Loki whispered in Tony’s ear, “who’s Liz?”

"His ex," Tony whispered back. "Things got really awkward when her father tried to murder him and then Peter got him arrested. She didn't know it was him but, you know."

They turned their attention back to the wall opposite them. Peter was stumbling through a barely coherent sentence. “I-I’m really sorry about your- your dad. A-are you mad at me?” There was a long silence and Loki seriously considered going over to see if he was alright until a soft, “thank you,” was weakly stammered through. 

Tony was instantly relieved when he heard it and even more so when Peter's voice perked up, "thanks, Liz. I'm still really sorry though. I'm just glad you understand why I left so often. Oh yeah, Flash is losing it. I'm pretty sure he wants to quit debate now. Oh man everyone misses you here.! You should visit sometime. MJ's in charge of the debate team now and it's so fun. Maybe Mr. Stark will let me give you a tour of the complex!"

Tony chuckled softly, sitting back on his legs. “Come on, mischief. Let’s get out of here and let the boy talk her ear off in peace. And maybe we should move you into another room, away from him. My room sound good? “

“Perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I'm back! Sorry, this took so long but I had exams and then I moved and then a nice vacation with no internet at all so I wasn't able to get much work done. I'm back now! Hope this makes it worth the wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr here! [https://www.tumblr.com/blog/spidersonandfriendsfics](url)


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